09/06/2026
Good Morning Friends,
Below you will find the notes for today’s sermon. Find the livestream here:
https://youtube.com/live/YCLvcSWV3d0?feature=share
Prayerfully,
Pastor Matthew
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Sermon Notes: September 6, 2026
A Side Quest: What About Deacons?
1 Timothy 3:8-13 (Acts 6:1-7)
Main Idea: Churches appoint deacons of high character to support Christ’s mission by serving others well.
Servanthood in the Church:
- Jesus set the example of servanthood (see Matthew 20:25-28; Mark 10:32-45; John 13:13-17)
- - He taught all believers to be servants
- In His church…
- - Some have the spiritual gift of serving (see Romans 12:7; 1 Peter 4:11)
- - Some have the formal role of serving!
- - - We call these individuals, “Deacons” (servants)
- - - Their character requirements are given (see vv8-12; c.f. Acts 6:3)
- - - Their duties are not listed, but they seem to help elders care for the church (see Acts 6:2-3; Philippians 1:1)
Character Matters:
- Deacons must be worthy of respect… (see vv8, 11)
- - Having integrity & right speech (see vv8, 11)
- - Keeping sober & self-controlled (see v8; c.f. v2)
- - Avoiding the love of money (see v8; c.f. 1 Timothy 3:3; Titus 1:7; 1 Peter 5:2)
- - Holding to the faith w/a clear conscience (see v9; Digging Deeper #1)
- - Blameless & faithful in everything (see vv10-11; compare to 3:2; remember the warning of 5:22; consider 1 John 1:5-10)
- - Faithful to their spouse, managing their children & households* competently (see v12; *households included everyone related by blood & marriage as well servants that live in the same homestead)
- Distinct from elders, deacons must not be ‘able to teach’ (see v3:2; 2 Timothy 2:24; Titus 1:9; James 3:1)
- Deacons are Men… or Women?
- - Greek is grammatically gendered
- - - It uses masculine terms for unspecified or mixed groups of males & females (E.g., the masculine ‘disciples, brothers, sons, & saints’ refers to all Christians)
- - - The “husbands of only one wife” phrase is in this context, it isn’t necessarily male exclusive (see the female-only version in 1 Timothy 5:9)
- - Paul mentions women while talking about deacons & later calls Pheobe a deacon of the Cenchrea church! (see v11 & Romans 16:1)
- - Even our Baptist Faith & Message allows female deacons! (see bfm.sbc.net/bfm2000/ )
Tested & Rewarded:
- Churches must examine candidates before appointing them as deacon (see v10)
- Deacons that serve well obtain… (see v13)
- - A high standing before others
- - Great confidence in the faith
Conclusion: How can we together grow to better bless our community & the nations for God’s glory? Ask for God’s help in accomplishing this!
1. Praise God & pray for godly Deacons!
2. Help produce a community that rightly develops & values such service
- - Recommit to Christ-like service in His church
3. Pray & consider who God is raising at GBC
- - Humbly nominate or step forward, as led
4. Carefully read God’s Word & test these ideas as preached & in the proposed Constitution (see Acts 17:10-12)
Digging Deeper: Prayerfully use this to bring His Word into your week!
1. Having a clear conscience is very important to Paul—and to God!
- - What do these verses share about it? 1 Timothy 1:5-6, 1:19, 3:9, 4:2; 2 Timothy 1:3; Titus 1:15
- - How can you better serve the lord with a clear & good conscience?
2. Jesus frequently corrects us for putting our traditions over God’s Word
- - See Matthew 12:1-8, 15:1-9 23:16-24; Mark 2:23-28, 7:1-13; Luke 11:37-44; Acts 15:1-11, 21:20-24; Rev. 2:14-15, 2:20-23, 3:1-3, 22:18-19 (consider Galatians 4:9-10; Colossians 2:20-23)
- - How do we… see where we’ve unknowingly done this? guard ourselves from doing it more?
3. Those serving as deacons are not confined to that exclusive way of exercising their spiritual gifts
- - Consider how Stephen & Philip served from Acts 6-8
- - Other deacon references: Romans 16:1; Ephesians 6:21-22; Philippians 1:1; Colossians 1:7, 4:7
4. Paul frequently speaks about the mystery of the Gospel that was revealed through Jesus
- - See 1 Corinthians 2:7, 4:1, 15:51; Ephesians 3:4-13; Colossians 1:25-27, 2:2, 4:3; 1 Timothy 3:9
- - How can you better understand this mystery & live in light of it?
5. The last message of this series looked at the role of elders/overseers/pastors.
- - See Pastor Matthew’s summary of this church role here: https://tinyurl.com/4455r87a
6. The New Testament is clear that women have an equal standing before Christ (see Acts 2:17-18; 1 Corinthians 7:3-4, 11:11-12, 12:13; Galatians 3:28; Colossians 3:11; 1 Peter 3:7)
- - Why do some think women cannot serve as deacons or pastors? It relates to their understanding of a husband’s headship of his wife & how Paul otherwise speaks about the role of women in 1 Corinthians 11:3-22, 14:34-35; Ephesians 5:23; 1 Timothy 2:9-15
- - Since the Corinthians church struggled with chaotic worship & Timothy served in Ephesus where the cult of Artemis emphasized women in a very dominant way scholarly opinions vary on if the applications Paul provides are universal or specific to counter issues in that place & time.
- - Remember, even Peter admits that Paul is hard to understand in 2 Peter 3:14-16!
If you’d like prayer, pastor/deacon support, or information about our church, please reach out to us through our website (www.gbcsbc.org), Facebook (), e-mail ([email protected]), phone (360-574-3242), or location (9400 NE 50th Ave, Vancouver, WA 98665). Thanks for joining us!
